Mission Accomplished

Weight: 239 (-2, -13 total)

Well, I did it. A lot of you have asked what it was like and how it went so I'll do my best to sum up here.

The day started at about 7AM. While this may seem like I had a chance to sleep in, the opposite is true. Before I had signed up for Warrior Dash I had gotten tickets to see Marillion in Philly on the Friday before. I won't get into details about the show here other than to say I didn't get home until about 1AM, and didn't fall asleep until closer to 2AM. I woke up pretty tired, but was confident my adrenaline would get me through.

Chris and Steve before the race

We packed up our things, including a cooler of water, some snacks, and a change of clothes, and loaded everything into Steve's truck. The six of us (me, Kathy, Ryan, Steve, and his family) headed up to Pocono Raceway together, leaving at about 9:00 and arriving about 10:45 AM. Upon our arrival we got to the registration area, attached our bibs and then kind of wondered what we were going to do until our 1:00 start time. It didn't take long for us to decide to bail on the 1:00 and just get into the starting area and go. We ran in the 11:30 heat.

We made our way to the start which was very similar to any other race, with the exception of the level of enthusiasm. People were jumping up and down, literally pumping themselves up for the race. With the sound of horns, and an explosion of flames we were off. The race went around the perimeter of the speedway, and it wasn't until we ran about 0.75 miles that we encountered our first obstacle. This was not much of a challenge - it was kind of like a balance beam. There was a slight incline, then about 30 feet of beam, then a decline off of the beam. No big deal. Shortly after that obstacle we came to the next which was an area of swinging tires. This also was pretty simple to go through as it was just running through the tire swings. Granted, you could whacked on the head by a tire (there seemed to be about 50 of them), but it was pretty easy to navigate.

Approaching the fire obstacle.

At this point I was thinking that I was worried about this dash for nothing, but more interesting obstacles remained. Next up was something more along the lines of what I was expecting. This was a military crawl under barbed wire, through some mud, and over some rocks and brush. The barbed wire was real, and you definitely had to stay low. It only took about 30 seconds to get through, but this was definitely a little more challenging as there's nothing you can really do to train for something like that. We continued on through some more challenges. There were several walls that you need to scale. There would be a rope hanging from the top and you had to pull yourself up over the wall, shift your weight, and then climb down the other side. There were three of these, each increasing in difficulty. There was also a mud section to run through (not THE mud obstacle). The only thing to come out of that was soaking wet and muddy shoes. And a rock in my shoe. No big deal.

I'm in the green shirt coming over the top. This was the
easy part of this obstacle.

The more challenging obstacles included a series of walls that required you to put your feet on one wall, your hands on the other wall, and move through the obstacle suspending yourself. This was a tough obstacle. Imagine your hands on one inside of the letter V, and your feet on the other inside of the V, then get yourself through 50 feet of that. I felt like Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible. There was also a rock wall obstacle. This was a tall wall with about a 2 inch beam running along the bottom to support your feet. You had to balance yourself and reach for the hand supports to work your way through. This was a fun challenge. Finally, we reached the last 3 obstacles. The first, being the hardest challenge on the course. This was the cargo nets. Going up and down a cargo net was easy enough. However, climbing across 50 feet of cargo nets is exhausting and a little painful. It hurt too much to go on my knees, so I tried to just use my arms and legs to "spider" my way across from the beginning to the actual cargo net wall. This probably took me a good minute or two to navigate. This was followed by the leap over the fire pits. This was really just for show. Nothing to it. Finally, we reached the end and the last obstacle which was the giant mud pool. I eased in to the cool mud and much like a current in the ocean, just kind of used my arms to float to the other side, climbed out, and crossed the finish line in a time of 52:55, placing me 3,988 out of 7,549 runners.

Chris and Steve after the race.

Once we crossed the line we were awarded our medals, and proceeded over to the fire truck to get a little cleaned up. This was pretty futile, but the water felt great. Once we got most of the mud off we took our free beer chips, got ourselves a beer (this is my only real complaint about the Warrior Dash - to do this whole race for a Miller Lite kind of sucks. Warriors don't drink Miller Late. I'm begging you Warrior Dash, please get some better beer for next year!) We also got some giant turkey legs, talked to some other warriors, and spent an hour or so just hanging out and soaking it all in.

I also decided to donate my shoes to their giant shoe pile. Not sure if they are to be recycled or washed up and reused, but I didn't need them anymore. It was a pretty impressive pile of shoes, that's for sure.

A mountain of shoes.

As you know, thanks to all your kindness and support I was able to raise $275 and be a St. Jude's Warrior, which allowed me access to a special tent, showers, etc... This was great, but I didn't take advantage of it. The lines were just too long. When to came time to leave we just kind of cleaned up/wiped off, changed back at the truck and headed home - feeling inspired and proud of our accomplishment.

So that's it in a nutshell. I feel really good about what I accomplished over the last few months. I didn't lose as much weight as I had hoped, but I did lose 13 pounds, and am feeling better and stronger than I've felt in the last 10 years. I feel like I've turned a corner in my life. I'm finally making more sensible food choices, I'm exercising regularly, and I'm looking forward to continuing my 10K app and working to improve my 5K running. I don't anticipate updating this blog too much any more, but I really appreciate all of the comments and emails and support I've gotten over the last few months. Thanks for allowing me to indulge myself here. I had some fun writing it, and I hope I didn't bore you all too much. I plan on running this race next year. Kathy will be running with me, and if anyone else is interested it would be a lot of fun to get a huge team to enter the race. It really was a blast.

Finished.

Lastly, I just want to say thanks to Kathy and Ryan, who both supported me through this whole thing. Kathy inspired me with her training and her half marathon preparations, and Ryan was always ready to greet me with a hug when I came back from a run or the gym, and who drew me pictures and cards to cheer me on. Ryan and I are running a mud run together in October. Info for it is here. Come out and join us.

http://www.filthyfunevents.com/camp-kweebec.htm

My goals going forward are these: keep working to drop some weight and keep exercising. I made it under 240, but I have a long way to go. I would like to eventually get myself to around 210 lbs. I don't know if I can, but I need to try. To assist me with this I want to run one 5K per month. Since I am doing the couch to 10K app I think I may contemplate a 5 miler, but not any time soon. Most importantly though, I want to be around for Kathy and Ryan, and to be here I need to be healthy. I want to be ready for a Warrior Dash when I'm 50 - which is how old I'll be when Ryan can run his first Warrior Dash. I can't wait to do it with him.

One week left

Weight: 241 (-2, -11 total)


I was very glad to see the 2 pounds come off this week. I feel like I earned it. I didn't miss a day of exercise last week, and I paid much closer attention to my diet. In a way it was a little frustrating - only for the fact that if I was this dedicated from the start I'd be down more than the 11 pounds. Oh well, nothing I can do about that now.


I'm feeling really good right now. I kind of feel like I reached a crossroads this week and went down the right road. I've felt like this before, but it's a little different this time. I'm actually looking forward (gasp!) to exercising every day. I've noticed the changes that are the result of a more diligent weight lifting effort. I definitely feel stronger and can actually see and feel the results. I've lost weight before, but I've never done it conjunction with lifting weights at all. I also feel better already about my running. Maybe it was buying the 10K training app - maybe I need that app reminding me and ordering me when to run/walk. I think subconsciously I am transferring the responsibility of running to the app and not keeping it to myself. Not sure if that makes sense or not, but if I follow the app then I'm not in charge of telling me when to run or walk. It's always been too easy for me to say "WALK NOW"... Now I'm not doing it. The Couch to 5K app was great for me. I was much more dedicated and focused when using that. Now that I'm doing the 10K app I feel the same.


The Warrior Dash is on Saturday. I think I'm ready. I harbor no illusions of running it in a half hour or even 45 mins. I have a goal in my head to finish in under an hour. I have no idea if that is realistic or not, but that's the goal. Physically I feel stronger than I've ever felt. My cardio is probably not where I'd like it to be, but I think I'll be okay and able to run the segments between the obstacles. I did do some of my run today on grass and it was much more difficult than running on the road. That will be a little bit more of a challenge.


My goals for this week are: Drink a lot of water. Go to the gym on Monday and Wednesday. I will run on Tuesday and Thursday. Friday I will likely just take off. I am planning to go to a concert Friday night, in Philly. Dumb luck that it's the night before Warrior, but I had the concert tickets before signing up for the race. There's a chance I'll just eat the ticket and skip the show, but I haven't decided yet. Either way, I won't be drinking on Friday night, that's for sure. I'm going to try and eat healthy all week and then hope for the best.


I don't know if I'll be updating before Saturday, but I will definitely write a summary of the day next Sunday, assuming I survive and don't drown in a puddle of mud, or self-cremate myself leaping over a wall of fire. We are planning to leave around 8:30 Saturday AM. It'll be a long day, but I'm really excited for it. And I'd be even more excited if I could raise another $90 by Saturday. That will allow me access to a private shower, more free food and beverages, and most importantly will allow me to reach my goal of $250 for St. Jude Children's Hospital. If you can donate anything at all, please do. As I mentioned before, I'll buy you a beer next time I see you! Thanks for all your support. And thanks to my friends who do read this blog. I know its not the most interesting blog in the world, but I appreciate you allowing me to humor myself. And all of the words of encouragement really do mean a lot. This should be fun!

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=746301&programId=901&eventId=259854

Two weeks to go

Weight: 243 (0, -9 total)

On Friday I ran the Jeremy Jedi 5K. The weather was ominous from the start and by the end of the race it had turned cold, windy, and rainy. I ran the 5K in 32:00, which was a little faster than the Phillies 5K in March, but not as fast as I had run my homemade 5K a few weeks back. I was a little disappointed in my results. I had been concentrating more on the elliptical than my running the past few weeks, and I think looking back that might have been a mistake. Cardio is cardio, but the hills, pounding, and humidity make a definite difference. So I've decided to up my game a little bit. I always feel like I'm struggling to run these 5Ks. I don't care how fast I go, but I do care when I find myself needing to walk for a minute, or struggling at the end like I did on Friday. I bought a new app for iPhone. I bought the couch to 10K app this time. I figure if I can build up to a 6 mile run, then I should be able to run a 5K with little trouble. I am going to start the app just short of the 5K marker and build from there. I don't know if it will impact my warrior training at all, but by my next 5K (Pottstown 4th of July) I should be feeling pretty good.

So I'm down to two weeks now. I'm feeling good about Warrior. I've noticed a difference in my strength from lifting, and I still feel good about my cardio, though I need to continuously work on it. I've been eating better and I am really looking forward to the event. One of my friends that I was looking forward to running with isn't able to make it, but fortunately he was able to transfer his registration to another friend who is willing to go. It'll be fun to run it with him, though I think I'll have my work cut out for me to keep up with him. I plan to not work on so much distance running the next two weeks, but will work on running all the hills in my neighborhood instead. The Warrior is a lot of shorter (quarter mile) runs, with the obstacles in between. I think working on the hills will prepare me well.

That's it. A quiet week. I've been great about going to the gym, and even went two evenings this past week when I really didn't feel like going. I'm going to really focus for the next two weeks - making sure I am drinking lots of water, and not eating anything too fattening or heavy. I don't have any social events on my calendar that should cause any problems, so I should be good to go. I'll keep updating as I get closer to the date.

Lastly, I'm still hoping to get a few donations. If you are able, even if it's only 5 or 10 bucks, please sponsor me. Every little bit helps these kids. Besides, if I can get to $250, I get access to a private shower and more food/drinks after the race, so it'll benefit K-Lo, too! Thanks for all your support.

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=746301&programId=901&eventId=259854

Three Weeks to Go

Weight: 243 (-2 lbs, -9 total)

Well, it turns out the scale battery is fine. It was set to kilograms for whatever reason. Anyway, I'm down another 2 lbs, and just wrapped a great week of exercise. Today I topped it off with a run to the gym, 20 mins on the elliptical, a weight lifting session, and a run back home. I felt good. I've noticed though that when I run, the first 5 minutes are the toughest for me. I really struggle to get my breath and get into a rhythm. I always wondered why runners run before their races, and I think I'm going to try that at the 5K this Friday. I'll have plenty of time, so I'm going to go for a short half mile jog just to get my lungs and legs warmed up and then try to run the race. My goal is to finish under 30 minutes, which would be cutting 7 minutes off my time since November. Not too shabby!

My goals for this week are to really try and eat reasonably healthy. I want to feel good when I run on Friday. I usually do a good job of drinking water, so I'll keep pounding the water. I'm going to try not to eat anything real heavy or rich. I plan to go to thy gym on Monday to do some cardio, then run on Tuesday. Wednesday will be tough with the t-ball game, so I may take off Wed, then do some more cardio on Thursday. If I do that I think I'll be in good shape for Friday.

After that I am going to go into full Warrior mode for two weeks. I'm going to give up the sweets and greasy foods I love. I'm going to focus on being in the best possible shape I can be in for that day. I know its going to be tough, and I know I probably could have done more to get ready, but I feel as good and healthy now as I've felt in a long time.

I also want to acknowledge Kathy's accomplishment this weekend. She ran the Odyssey half marathon in 2:15. That's unbelievable. And to know how far she has come in two years is just really inspiring. She eats healthy, she's completely dedicated to running, and her dedication has clearly paid off. She looks great, and she's probably in the best shape of her life. I am so proud of her. I wish I could find that well of determination that she has. She does say that a lot of it is just mind over matter - overcoming the mental challenges. I always argue that when you have the limited mental abilities that I have that it doesn't really matter so much, but I get what she's saying. I know I can run the 5K under 30 mins. I know that I just have to keep those legs moving.

So that's it. Kind of a rambling update. I feel like I'm boring anyone that's reading this with the same updates week after week, but I also feel like I have to keep writing this to stay accountable to my goal. I promise a more entertaining update post-Warrior Dash.

I'll update Friday evening with the results of the Jeremy Jedi's 5K. And as mentioned before, if anyone wants to run or walk with me (come on work friends - we're in Malvern anyway...) you can sign up here (and there's free food after the race!!!)

http://jeremysjedi.org/

Lastly, if you can, please support my fundraising efforts for the Warrior Dash. All donations are for St. Jude Children's Hospital. I can't be the only one who sponsors me! Sponsor me and I'll buy you a beer next time I see you. Thanks!

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=746301&programId=901&eventId=259854

A lot less fat!

Weight: 111 lbs (-141 total)

Yes, you read that correctly. I stepped on the scale THREE times this morning, and each time it read 111 lbs. I'll admit, I had a pretty good week, but that surpassed even my wildest expectations. Kathy seems to think it's the battery in the scale. I think its more of a product of hard work.

Since I don't seem to have an accurate reading today, I'll keep this on the brief side. Last Wednesday marked the one month till the Warrior Dash date. I have started eating healthier, and I have definitely ramped up my exercise. Last week I got to thy gym 3 times for weight lifting and cardio on the elliptical, and I also got out for two runs. This coming week I am planning on: gym on Monday, off Tuesday, gym Wednesday, run Thursday, off Friday, run Saturday.

In regards to running, I've hit a bit of a roadblock since my personal best two weeks ago. I haven't been able to duplicate that feat (in time) since then, but I feel like its been more of a mental hurdle than a physical hurdle. Maybe its the suddenly warmer/more humid weather. Maybe the increased pollen/allergies. Maybe I'm not drinking enough water (doubtful as I drink a ton of water)... Maybe it's a combination of all three. I just don't know. I'm very interested in how I'm going to do at the Jeremy Jedi 5K on June 1. My goal is to complete the run in under 30:00.

I'm really hoping to kind of round into better shape over the next month. Obviously I'm not going to lose 20 lbs, but I'm hopeful for another 5 or so, and I'm hoping to increase my strength and stamina. Right now I feel like I can do the Warrior Dash, but I don't necessarily feel like I could kick its ass or anything like that. I don't think I'll get there, but I am hoping to get to the point where I can do this dash and not just simply barely survive it.

And now for the business part of all this: if you are able, please support my cause. I signed up to try and raise funds by running this dash for the St. Jude's Children's hospital. Every little bit helps them do some great things.

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=746301&programId=901&eventId=259854

Lastly, I am running the Jeremy Jedi 5K on Friday June 1. It's after work and is in Malvern. So if anyone from work wants to join me, I'd love to have the company. Check it out here:

http://jeremysjedi.org/

Back on track

Weight: 245 (no change, -7 total)

Well, I'd be lying if I said April and early May hasn't been a struggle. I didn't really have a problem with Easter or my birthday and the big meals that came with them, it was just a hard month for me to get through. As I briefly mentioned in my last entry I had a bit of a "physical" ailment which precluded me from getting any significant exercise for about two weeks. Fortunately, I'm back to nearly 100% and I have really been increasing my exercise and being a little more careful about what I'm eating. Right now I feel pretty okay.

I've been to the gym to lift three times in the past week so I am meeting my goal in that respect. I don't know if I notice anything, but I feel better about it. I'm not lifting a lot of weight, but I'm targeting all areas - especially my arms and shoulders. A few years back I injured my shoulder reaching for a ball that Ryan threw to me. For a few weeks I thought I tore my rotator cuff. I know that I didn't, but I certainly did something to my shoulder. It's been fine for some time now, but I really felt it again when I started lifting some weights that impacted my shoulder muscles. I had a hard time lifting any significant weight at all over my head. Other than that the weights are going good.

I've also been going harder on the elliptical machine and trying to increase my heartbeat and the length of time I'm on it. I'm trying to get more out of my cardio workouts. On Tuesday I went for a run outside for the first time in about 10 days and had the best run I've had in 25 years. I decided to run my own 5K and broke 30 minutes for the first time since high school (when I was about 165 lbs). I completed my run in 29:45, but that includes the 20-40 seconds I spent trying to figure out how to save the time on my running app. I was (and remain) very excited and motivated by this. I feel like even though I am struggling to lose weight, I am still getting in better shape. Last November I ran a 5K in 37 minutes. In March I did the Phillies 5K in 33 minutes. And now a month later I'm down to under 30 minutes. I was so excited I signed up for another 5K event to run in a few weeks as part of my Warrior Dash training.

So all in all, I'm feeling okay. I'm not really any less fat yet, but I'm definitely in better shape. I still believe the pounds will come off if I can find a way to commit to it. It's just so hard for me. I'm not a "foodie," but I really love food. I love to try new things, I love to go out to eat, I love to grill, I love picnics and parties. It's just not easy for me to cut things out, but I have been better. I'm eating healthy breakfasts and lots of fruits and vegetables. I'm not really snacking at night too much, except for some popcorn once or twice a week. But I'm even doing that healthier. We threw out our disgusting old microwave and I bought an air popper to make the popcorn. It's not as tasty, but it's certainly healthier than the microwave bags. I still have about 6 weeks until the Warrior Dash. I have time to lose some weight, and time to increase my speed and strength. I just need to maintain my focus. I'm hoping that will be easier now that I've seen some positive resultsin regards to my fitness level. Speaking of the Warrior Dash, I have opened my fundraising page (link below). All donations go to St. Jude's. My goal is to raise $250. If you can spare $5 or $10 please make a donation. Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement.

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=746301&programId=901&eventId=259854

Lastly, I just want to say how proud I am of Kathy. Two years ago she decided to get healthy and fit and signed up for the Broad Street 10 mile run. Last year she kind of ran it just hoping to survive and finished in just under 2 hours. This year she attacked it and ran it in 1:44, with her 10th mile actually being her fastest. She's eating healthy. She's completely dedicated to her training, and she looks fantastic. She's running a half marathon in 2 weeks, and who knows, maybe a marathon in her future? She's been really inspiring. Maybe, MAYBE I'll sign up for Broad Street next year. I don't know.

I'd also like to give a thumbs up to my sister, Susie, who just started the couch to 5K program. She and I are going to run the Pottstown 4th of July 5K together and I'm looking forward to that. Now it's public, Susie. No backing out.

Oh yeah, one last item. I mentioned that I signed up for another 5K. Below is the link to the event if anyone (especially any friends from work) would like to run with me. It's Friday, June 1st in Malvern. Race starts at 6:30 and its another race for a great cause. And maybe we can go out and grab a cold brew afterwards.

http://jeremysjedi.org/

Rough week

Weight: 245 (+2, -7 total)

Sorry for the delay between posts. Last weekend was a crazy weekend and I just kind of ran out of time. Anyway, before everyone gets all bent out of shape over the +2, I must say that I actually feel lucky it isn't worse. Two weeks ago when I reached -9 lbs I was feeling really good. I continued that following week with eating well and increasing my exercise. I even motivated myself to get back to the gym and do some work on the weights. I felt like I had turned a corner. But then I had a setback. If this was a medical blog I'd go into more details, but for our purposes here I'll just say that I have been dealing with a very uncomfortable and painful issue which has made it difficult to do absolutely anything at all. The good news is that while I am certainly not feeling back to normal yet, I am feeling like I can resume some physical activity. I'm going to at least give it a go, and I look forward to getting back into a regular routine this week.

I have seven weeks to go until the warrior dash. I'm not exactly where I was hoping to be at this point in my training. I feel like my cardio is good and I won't have trouble with the running part. I still need to improve my strength and I'd really like to lose some significant weight, quickly if possible. Kathy and I made more of a commitment to eating not only better and healthier, but also to purchasing a lot more of our groceries from the organic department. So far we've been doing a pretty good job. Kathy has especially been doing well. I still have too many times where I give in to temptation, but I'm working at that.

So that's really about it. I don't have much to add today. I'm very frustrated in regards to the last 10 days. I haven't gotten any exercise at all. I've been eating okay, save for a rather disastrous evening at a Phillies game the other night. My exercise plan for the week is this:

Sunday: a brisk walk/light jog just to ease back into exercising, softball game
Monday: 40 mins. eliptical, weights
Tuesday: basketball (or 30 min. jog)
Wednesday: 40 mins. eliptical, weights
Thursday: off
Friday: whatever I can squeeze in between work and a t-ball trip to the Reading Phillies
Sat: run 30 mins.

I am going to register for a 5K this week too, just to keep giving me a target/goal for my Warrior Dash training. Kathy is running Broad Street next week, so I'll look for a race the following Saturday.

Thanks for reading. Since things have not gone so well the last 7-10 days I will post an update on Wednesday to document and progress.